Review: Instructions for the End of the World by Jamie Kain

Publication Date: December 8^th 2015
Publisher: St Martin’s Press
Length: 224 pages

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

He prepared their family for every natural disaster known to man--except for the one that struck.

When Nicole Reed's father forces her family to move to a remote area of the Sierra Foothills, one without any modern conveniences, it's too much too handle for her mother, who abandons them in the middle of the night. Heading out to track her down, Nicole's father leaves her in charge of taking care of the house and her younger sister, Izzy. For a while, Nicole is doing just fine running things on her own. But then the food begins to run out, the pipes crack, and forest fires start slowly inching their way closer every day. Wolf, a handsome boy from the neighboring community, offers to help her when she needs it most, but when she starts to develop feelings for him, feelings she knows she will never be allowed to act on once her father returns, she must make a decision. With her family falling apart, will she choose to continue preparing for tomorrow's disasters, or will she take a chance and really start living for today?

Side note: It really frustrates me when covers are designed by people who have clearly never read the book. Why is she wearing a hat and a blanket? The entire book takes place in the middle of summer when it’s stupidly hot and there are forest fires coming for them.

It’s always a bad sign when you want to shake 90% of the characters in a book. Alas, ‘Instructions for the End of the World’ has that in spades, in fact I think there was only one character that didn’t frustrate me. It also might be my book of the year for truly terrible parenting. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with such a bunch of awful, unfit to have children parents in some time. You have Wolf’s mother who is completely self-absorbed and tries to bring everyone into the drama of her life. Then Nicole and Isabel’s parents – one of whom it emerges never wanted children and willingly leaves her kids with their slightly unstable father in the middle of nowhere with no intentions to come back and rescue them.
Good job parents.

Then there are the kids, who are slightly screwed up but no less frustrating. There was so much potential here with both Nicole and Isabel and the situations they find themselves in, but it didn’t feel like the book was ever fully allowed to explore them, it just glossed over the top and as a result any emotional impact was lost. It also makes both of the girls decisions really hard to understand, particularly in the end of the novel where I just wanted to introduce my head to the desk for a while and weep for the idiocy.

There are several character viewpoints: Wolf, Nicole and her sister Isabel – all reasonable. But then we have one random other view point from Laurel who gets a grand total of two chapters out of the book and feels like a secondary character arc that was meant to be expanded into something, but instead was left as a beginning and an end.

Whilst the concept was fascinating, I never really connected with the characters or the story. I wanted to get drawn into the situation, to feel for these people, but I felt like nothing was really driving the events – there was no real plot to speak of. I ended up just feeling apathetic and mildly frustrated, and wishing for the story I thought I’d be diving into when I opened this book.

Review: How To Be Brave by E. Katherine Kottaras

Publication Date: November 3^rd 2015
Publisher: St Martin’s Press
Length: 288 pages

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

An emotional contemporary YA novel about love, loss, and having the courage to chase the life you truly want.
Reeling from her mother's death, Georgia has a choice: become lost in her own pain, or enjoy life right now, while she still can. She decides to start really living for the first time and makes a list of fifteen ways to be brave - all the things she's wanted to do but never had the courage to try. As she begins doing the things she's always been afraid to do - including pursuing her secret crush, she discovers that life doesn't always go according to plan. Sometimes friendships fall apart and love breaks your heart. But once in a while, the right person shows up just when you need them most - and you learn that you're stronger and braver than you ever imagined.

Something about this book just didn’t click with me, so whilst I saw a huge amount of love for it before I started and I was expecting to love it myself, we never really hit it off.

At the start of the novel I was engaged, interested in these characters and their problems and I loved the idea of the living with no fear list – all things combining to set up a truly great novel. But then it starts to drift. Georgia starts to smoke, do drugs, skip school, and all in the name of her mother’s memory and this list of living with no fear. She acts as though what she’s doing is living, when she’s actually just throwing it all away. Whilst she does realise how badly she’s screwed up later in the novel it felt like too little too late after the borderline glorification of taking drugs etc. that occurs throughout.

With the drugs everything seems to spiral and it turns into a very different novel to the one I started out reading. It loses focus, it drifts, Georgia spends a lot of time isolating and feeling sorry for herself and sabotaging her life and it’s frustrating to read. It also serves to make Georgia come across as extremely unlikeable as she blames her dead mother for the fact that she forced her to live without fear – to do this list in the first place. At no point does Georgia’s mother force her to create this list, or to do anything on it. It’s an interpretation of her wishes that Georgia devises and then spends a good portion of the novel being angry about. As a result my empathy for her decreased sharply and by the end I really didn’t care for her at all.

Throw in a love story with a caricature of the hot guy from school who we never really get to know, or get to see and understand the attraction between them for the three scenes they have together, and I was more than a little grumpy by the end of the novel.

It has its good moments, some truly emotional scenes that had me feeling more than a little bit teary, but they aren’t enough to balance out the problematic aspects. Ultimately it’s a quick read that sadly lacks anything to truly make it shine.

Review: Some Like It Scot by Suzanne Enoch

Publication Date: October 6^th 2015
Publisher: St Martin’s Press
Length: 368 pages

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

Munro MacLawry has always lived up to his nickname "Bear." Strong and brawny, he's known in his clan to be fiercely protective. Sadly for him, each of his siblings becomes "less highlander" as they get married, and Bear is left rowdy and alone with no one to protect. That is, until a routine hunt leads to the most alluring of creatures…
Catriona MacColl doesn't care to amuse the brash, strong, and sexy highlander she stumbles upon in the woods. She's too busy hiding with her sister from marriage into English society. Already well-equipped with a bull's-eye shot, she doesn't need a protector, no matter how badly her body burns for him. But as Cat's boyish nature gives way to her more feminine desires, she'll have to stop fighting the tide and listen to her heart…

I love a good romance, and Suzanne Enoch is one of my favourites, second only to Julia Quinn and Eloisa James. They’re sexy, they’re fun, and they always leave me feeling like all is right with the world after another happily ever after ending. I had a really fantastic time reading ‘When A Scot Ties the Knot’ by Tessa Dare a few months ago, so when I saw that Enoch was setting a book up in the Scottish Highlands I leapt on it with gleeful abandon.

Something that’s a huge bonus with historical romance books is that you know that regardless of the shenanigans that occur throughout the rest of the book, the hero and heroine are going to get together by the end. It’s pretty much a given and therefore near on impossible to spoil that element of a historical romance book. Which means that you don’t have to read a series in order, case in point with this one. ‘Some Like it Scot’ is actually the fourth book in the series, and I wasn’t hindered by not having read the previous three in the slightest. There are references to previous events, but with enough of a poke so that readers who haven’t yet read them won’t be left in the dark.

It has everything that you would expect from a romance book – a strong hero, a feisty independent heroine. Witty banter, steamy kisses and a solid plot to work off. I loved escaping into the story whenever I had a spare moment and whilst Bear and Cat aren’t my all-time favourite romance couple, they were definitely fun to get to know.

One thing that I really loved about this book is how the two of them worked together. Usually in an historical romance you’ll have a moment (two thirds to three quarters of the way through) where something will rip the couple apart and make a happy ending look bleak. Some secret will come out or they won’t declare their feelings or pesky people will get in the way and it’s all terribly tragic and morose for a while. Not so here. You have various people trying to split them up but Cat and Bear actually talked to each other, they communicate and as a result there are no misunderstandings and ridiculous moments where you just want to shake them. It was refreshing and wonderful to read and made them feel like a much more solid team rather than two individuals.

I really enjoyed this book, it was a bit of escapism that left me longing for the cold wet of the Highlands and for the first three books in the series to curl up with. It’s not my favourite of Enoch’s books but it’s definitely a strong contender and I cannot wait to go back and discover the rest of the MacLawry family stories.

Review: The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore

Publication Date: September 15^th 2015
Publisher: St Martin’s Press/Thomas Dunne Books
Length: 320 pages

Huge thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press/Thomas Dunne Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

For twenty years, the Palomas and the Corbeaus have been rivals and enemies, locked in an escalating feud for over a generation. Both families make their living as traveling performers in competing shows—the Palomas swimming in mermaid exhibitions, the Corbeaus, former tightrope walkers, performing in the tallest trees they can find. 
Lace Paloma may be new to her family’s show, but she knows as well as anyone that the Corbeaus are pure magia negra, black magic from the devil himself. Simply touching one could mean death, and she's been taught from birth to keep away. But when disaster strikes the small town where both families are performing, it’s a Corbeau boy, Cluck, who saves Lace’s life. And his touch immerses her in the world of the Corbeaus, where falling for him could turn his own family against him, and one misstep can be just as dangerous on the ground as it is in the trees.

This is such a stunningly beautiful book, one that I’ve been excited about for most of the year. It has it all – lyrical prose, subtle magic weaving its way through the narrative, and star crossed lovers.

I didn’t quite know what to expect when I started reading, and I liked having no expectations or preconceived ideas of what I might find. It was like unpacking a present, being surprised and enthralled by all the little pieces of plot sliding together to create a beautiful story, the characters evolving and growing into real people.

It’s a story about magic, unexplained raw and fascinating magic in the form of Sirenas – the Paloma girls who swim through water as mermaids in their travelling act, blessed with a love of water and swimming and the ability to stay under until the tourists watching truly believe they might be mermaids. And the Corbeaus, no fear of heights, a love of being up in the highest branches of the trees tumbling and dancing with the feathered wings of their costumes rippling in the wind. Just those two families and their acts are stunning, but once you start adding in the family feuds, the secrets, the lies and the history it evolves into something complex and fascinating.

I loved Lace and Cluck, the views into their families and their fascinating lives they offered. The history, the traditions, the beliefs and hierarchy that comes with each family. The melding of their cultures with their family histories and attitudes. They were such gentle people, enfolded into this aggressive feud and desperately trying to find themselves and their own ways in life.

The only reason that this wasn’t a full five star read is that whilst it was beautiful and lovely, I never felt like I was truly connected to the characters. I felt like I was watching this magical spectacle unfold from a distance, when I wanted to be right in the middle of it with the smell of the makeup and feathers tangling in my hair.

However despite that one bump in the reading experience, I really love it. It’s a beautiful story, diverse, magical and completely unique to anything else I’ve read. A stunning debut novel, and one of my must read novels for September.

If you liked ‘The Night Circus’ by Erin Morgenstern then this is a must read. It has the same magical quality to the writing, lyrical and soft, subtly creating a truly engrossing and moving narrative that weaves around you until you are thoroughly ensnared.

Review: Enchantress of Paris by Marci Jefferson

Publication Date: August 4^th 2015
Publisher: St Martin’s Press/Thomas Dunne Books
Length: 336 pages

Huge thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press/Thomas Dunne Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

Fraught with conspiracy and passion, the Sun King's opulent court is brought to vivid life in this captivating tale about a woman whose love was more powerful than magic.
The alignment of the stars at Marie Mancini's birth warned that although she would be gifted at divination, she was destined to disgrace her family. Ignoring the dark warnings of his sister and astrologers, Cardinal Mazarin brings his niece to the French court, where the forbidden occult arts thrive in secret. In France, Marie learns her uncle has become the power behind the throne by using her sister Olympia to hold the Sun King, Louis XIV, in thrall.
Desperate to avoid her mother's dying wish that she spend her life in a convent, Marie burns her grimoire, trading Italian superstitions for polite sophistication. But as her star rises, King Louis becomes enchanted by Marie's charm. Sensing a chance to grasp even greater glory, Cardinal Mazarin pits the sisters against each other, showering Marie with diamonds and silks in exchange for bending King Louis to his will.
Disgusted by Mazarin's ruthlessness, Marie rebels. She sacrifices everything, but exposing Mazarin's deepest secret threatens to tear France apart. When even King Louis's love fails to protect Marie, she must summon her forbidden powers of divination to shield her family, protect France, and help the Sun King fulfill his destiny.

I love a well written historical novel that allows me to immerse myself in another country or time, but sadly they can often be a little bit hit and miss with historical accuracy, language or detailing, so I’m always hesitant when starting a new historical novel as to what I might actually get. Luckily ‘Enchantress of Paris’ was one of those rare, stunningly written and researched novels that swept me up and away into the early days of the court of the Sun King – Louis XIV.

This novel was a sumptuous treat, offering a peep hole into France in the mid-1600s. The food, the balls, the clothes, the revelry and scandal – it’s all there, beautifully chronicled. It’s a rich and enthralling narrative led by a fantastic heroine. Marie was headstrong and wilful, determined and clever. I loved watching her transformation from the start, watching her learn the power plays and games and begin to play on her own terms. Her and her sisters were so refreshingly outrageous, so determined to be themselves in a time when that was frowned upon, and it was a delight to read. What made it even more fantastic was reading the author’s note at the end and realising just how much historical fact has been blended seamlessly in and how much of the novel is real. Nothing will ever be perfectly accurate, but this novel did an incredible job of pulling so many factual historical sources and turning them into a truly incredible story.

All of the characters were brilliantly constructed, but it is truly Marie who gives the story heart and soul. I tore through the novel and loved immersing myself in another period of French history that I was sorely ignorant of. It’s a wonderful novel to add to my collection of historical fiction that is slowly filling in my gaps of French history, and is definitely my favourite to date.

The writing is beautiful, the setting superb and as I’ve said, the characters wonderfully real and flawed. It was the kind of novel I dream of, one to sink into and enjoy. To be swept away by and to fall in in love with.

My only complaints would be the sheer volume of titles and names that you need to keep up with – who is related, who is married, who is so and so’s mistress. There’s a handy list to keep you up to date of who’s who right at the start of the novel which should alleviate the problem, but alas because I was reading it on my kindle, trying to shuffle back and forth between list and book became increasingly frustrating. Book readers won’t have such limitations though, and I’ looking forward to going back and reading this one again in book form and thoroughly enjoying it. And on a slightly more picky note the descriptions of some parts of Lyon felt a little off. Perhaps it was me simply being confused, but some of the mapping of the city felt a little off compared to the city I know. Something that were I not living here I wouldn’t have picked up on at all.

If you love historical novels, or fancy a well informed and sumptuous peek at a fascinating period in French history, this is a must read. It dances the line between factual and fictional perfectly giving the perfect blend of realism and compelling story that will sweep you away. Marci is definitely an author that I’m going to watch, and I’m looking forward to catching up on her first novel ‘Girl on the Golden Coin’.

Review: The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler

Publication Date: June 23^rd 2015
Publisher: St Martin’s Press
Length: 352 pages

Huge thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

A sweeping and captivating debut novel about a young librarian who is sent a mysterious old book, inscribed with his grandmother's name. What is the book's connection to his family?
Simon Watson, a young librarian, lives alone on the Long Island Sound in his family home, a house perched on the edge of a cliff that is slowly crumbling into the sea. His parents are long dead, his mother having drowned in the water his house overlooks.
One day, Simon receives a mysterious book from an antiquarian bookseller; it has been sent to him because it is inscribed with the name Verona Bonn, Simon's grandmother. Simon must unlock the mysteries of the book, and decode his family history, before fate deals its next deadly hand. The Book of Speculation is Erika Swyler's gorgeous and moving debut, a wondrous novel about the power of books, family, and magic.

This was an intriguing book, one that I have had my eye on for some time and was looking forward to exploring. It was a spellbinding read, one that sucked me under and kept me guessing and wondering, filled me with anger and hurt and desperation, and was suffused with a quiet magic. It’s a story told through two timelines, Simon, desperately trying to piece together his family history and protect his sister. And Amos, from the 1700s, deftly weaving the stories origin point so that as Simon uncovers more clues about this strange book he has been sent and his families tragic past, we see it unfold through Amos as well.

It had elements of both ‘The Snow Child’ and ‘The Night Circus’ – two books I loved. The same lilting magic and quiet depths. The story takes its time, ambling between the two storylines at a sometimes frustrating pace. But rather than wanting to skip one timeline to get to the other as so often happens with these split books, I found myself enjoying both tales equally. There were points where one took precedence to the detriment of the other, forcing the narrative stream down to a dribble, but on the whole it moved along at a solid pace to reach a quite tense and dramatic climax.

The writing is quiet, beautiful at times and filled with memorable passages. There are several quotes that I know I will take with me. Swyler most definitely has a way with words, of twisting language into this wondrous thing, even when her characters could not speak at all, the ways of communication were filled with surprising depths and double meanings.

“We would bury ourselves in books until flesh and paper became one and ink and blood at last ran together.”

The odd thing was that whilst the book was good, and I am glad I read it, I didn’t enjoy it exactly. It was too melancholy, and had too many threads of lies, sadness and betrayal for me to fully immerse myself in the story in an enjoyable fashion. It pulled me in, made me want to unravel the mystery and see it through to its breath-taking climax, but once I finished, I was glad to close the book. It is a fascinating story, one I wasn’t sure how it would end. It had so many tangled threads and possibilities that snarl together as Simon attempts to piece the history together, only to emerge as a solid braid in the last few pages. 

It’s beautiful and wretched and filled with sorrow, not necessarily a good summer book, but definitely one to pick up if you enjoyed ‘The Snow Child’ or ‘The Night Circus’.

“We carry our families like anchors, rooting us in storms, making sure we never drift from where and who we are. We carry our families within us the way we carry our breath underwater, keeping us afloat, keeping us alive. I’ve been lifting anchors since I was eighteen. I’ve been holding my breath since before I was born.”